Readers’ Choice: What Was the Best Book of 2013?

What was the best book of 2013? Depends on the metrics you use. If you’re going with fancy literary prizes, then it’s probably Eleanor Catton’s novel “The Luminaries,” which won the Man Booker Prize, or James McBride’s novel “The Good Lord Bird,” which won the National Book Award for fiction (George Packer won in the nonfiction category for “The Unwinding: An Inner History of the New America,” a narrative meditation on America’s economic stagnation).

If you’re looking for something approaching critical consensus, then it’s Kate Atkinson’s novel, “Life After Life,” which, according to Publishers Marketplace, has landed on 14 out of 35 “best books of 2013” lists so far. Or, if you want to judge the best book of the year based on its best-seller ranking, then it’s likely Tom Rath’s “StrengthsFinder 2.0,” a self-helpy business book designed to “help people uncover their talents,” which currently tops Amazon’s list of the 100 best-selling books of 2013.

Then again, it’s all just a matter of taste in the end. Tell us your picks for the best book of 2013. Fill out the form below, or nominate your picks on Twitter with #WSJbookclub. We’ll feature some readers’ recommendations on WSJ.com.

The Journal will release its list of the best books of 2013 this weekend.

About Speakeasy

Speakeasy is a blog covering media, entertainment, celebrity and the arts. The publication is produced by Barbara Chai and Jonathan Welsh with contributions from the Wall Street Journal staff and others. Write to us at speakeasy@wsj.com or follow us on Twitter at @WSJSpeakeasy or individually @barbarachai.